St Michael's Church of England Academy Nursery Review

Three-hour sessions and a base in the Children & Family Centre give Nurture Nursery its practical identity. This is the nursery provision at St Michael's Church of England Academy in Bedworth, with places for two-year-olds and a limited number for children aged three to four. Its centre setting places early education alongside services for young children and their families.

Year-round opening is useful for families whose childcare needs extend beyond school terms. Funding can also be taken over a term-time pattern, giving parents a choice about how their entitlement fits the year.

Mornings run from 8.45am to 11.45am, Monday to Friday. Afternoon sessions last from 12.30pm to 3.30pm, Monday to Thursday. Each is three hours long, so the basic pattern gives children a defined morning or afternoon of nursery time. Friday has a shorter pattern: there is no afternoon session.

The school aims to remove obstacles to participation and learning across educational, sensory, physical and emotional needs. For families considering additional support, inclusion is therefore an explicit aim, rather than something confined to academic learning.

Lunch has a separate charging structure, but lunchtimes are included when a child uses their full 30-hour entitlement. A contribution towards snacks is voluntary. These distinctions matter when working out what a funded place covers and which contributions are optional.

Attending Nurture Nursery does not guarantee a Reception place at St Michael's. Families must make a separate Reception application through the normal admissions route and meet the applicable deadline. Treat the nursery choice and the school-place application as two separate decisions.

School applications go through Warwickshire School Admissions Service. Places are allocated against admission criteria, so time spent at nursery should never be treated as a secured place for the next stage.

Two-year-olds eligible through 2HELP can receive up to 15 funded hours each week from the term after their second birthday. Working families with two-year-olds can apply for 30 hours; the nursery offers between 15 and 30 hours weekly for this age group. For three- and four-year-olds, the 15-hour nursery education entitlement requires no application, while working families can apply for 30 hours. Places for this older group, including 30-hour places, are limited.

Funding under 2HELP, Nursery Education Funded Places (NEF) and the 30-hour arrangement can be used over 38 term-time weeks or stretched across up to 49 weeks, including some school holidays. Spreading entitlement across more weeks changes the childcare pattern families need to plan around.

Non-funded attendance requires at least two sessions each week. Speak to the Early Years Lead about current charges. Friday afternoons. Nursery sessions stop after the morning on Fridays. Families needing care that afternoon must account for that when choosing their weekly pattern.